


Blessed in Company

by shadowsamurai



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Missing Scene, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-01
Updated: 2013-10-01
Packaged: 2017-12-28 03:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/986971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsamurai/pseuds/shadowsamurai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps the most important event in his life, and Garibaldi doesn't want to face it alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blessed in Company

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so maybe a little AU, and perhaps a little weird, but after watching 'Objects in Motion' the other night, the muse insisted on this being written. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't...I'll let you decide. :)
> 
> And I don't own anything, just playing.

Garibaldi couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy. Despite her injury, Lise had just agreed to get married there and then, and he was off to show the minister in when a thought occurred to him and he stopped dead in his tracks. He had never thought he would ever get married, especially not to the woman he had loved since he first met. And now it looked like things were finally going right for him, it looked like he was finally going to be happy, and he realised he wanted to share this moment with the people who were most important to him. It wasn't completely possible, of course; two of his closest friends were very far away, though in very different meanings. But that didn't mean he was alone. For the first time in a long time, Garibaldi realised he would never be alone again. Raising his hand, he touched his link, trying to keep the smile out of his voice as he spoke.

“Garibaldi to Sheridan.”

_“Sheridan, go.”_

“I need you and Delenn to come down to med lab right away,” he said. “This is urgent.”

 _“Is Lise...?”_ Sheridan asked, leaving the question hanging.

Garibaldi ignored him. “Just get down here, John. With Delenn. And bring Zack too.”

“Is there a problem, Michael?”

Franklin's voice made him jump and he turned, his face as serious as he could make it. “Ah, no. Not really. I just...can I borrow you for a few minutes?”

Franklin looked at him suspiciously. “Sure. Why?”

“Oh, you'll see soon enough.”

Less than ten minutes later, Sheridan, Delenn and Zack all entered the med lab. “We're here, Michael,” Sheridan said. “What's the problem?”

Garibaldi took a deep breath and started. “You know I'm not great with words, especially not in a situation like this, so if I mess up, I hope you'll forgive me.”

Delenn stepped forward at that moment, and before he could say anything else, she laid her hand on his chest, above his sternum. “We are your friends...Michael. We will always forgive you and we will always understand you.”

The smile that accompanied that statement was the warmest he had ever seen from her, and as he briefly covered her hand with his, Garibaldi was surprised to find tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Thank you.” Delenn nodded and returned to Sheridan's side. “Okay, here's the thing. As you know, Lise and I are getting married. Well, after what happened earlier, I decided we should get married. Now. As in right now. As in if you'll all just follow me through to Lise's room, we can get started.”

Zack's jaw dropped open while Franklin laughed in surprise. “Right now?” he said.

Garibaldi nodded. “I was waiting for the perfect time and...there's no such thing. Then I realised...this is the perfect time. You know why? Because the people I care about the most are here with me.” Pain flashed across his features briefly. “Well, most of them.”

No one mentioned Ivanova, or Sinclair, but those present all knew who Garibaldi was referring to. There was a moment of silence, then Sheridan cleared his throat. “Michael, we're honoured. Thank you. Now, shouldn't we get on with it?”

“Good idea. Lise is probably wondering where I've got to as it is,” Garibaldi replied. “Just...give me a minute, will you?”

“Of course.”

He smiled and rushed back inside, asking the waiting minister to carry on...well, waiting as well. Lise glared as he entered her room. “Michael, where have you been?”

“I just had a few things to sort out, that's all,” he told her, taking her hand.

“Like what?”

“You can all come in now,” Garibaldi called over his shoulder.

Somehow, Sheridan, Delenn, Zack and Franklin all squashed themselves into the small room, along with the minister, Garibaldi and Lise, who looked at their faces with a sense of wonder. Each smiled at her, their sincerity and warmth infusing her, and she somehow felt blessed in their company.

“You don't mind, do you?” Garibaldi asked tentatively.

“Of course not,” she replied.

He grinned. “Good. So....”

Lise looked at the minister. “You can proceed, please.”

Garibaldi never heard the ceremony, didn't take in any of the words, all he was aware of was the beautiful woman in front of him, and his friends behind him. When it was all over, they all offered their congratulations to the happy couple and filed out singly, shaking Garibaldi's hand as they went. But when they had all gone, he continued staring at the doorway for a while, because as the ceremony was happening, he had the strangest sense of there being nine people present, not seven, and in his mind's eye, he could see the extra two. There was Ivanova, straight-backed and proud, smiling at Garibaldi in a way she rarely had, as though his happiness was the most important thing to her in that moment. There was a sadness about her as well, as though he had found something she would never enjoy, and he longed to reach out to her, to comfort her. He never got to see her before she left Babylon 5, and that lack of farewell stung Garibaldi more than he realised. But it was the tall figure beside her that caused him more pain. Sinclair stood just as tall and proud as Ivanova, his brown eyes brimming with joy for his friend, a joy that seemed to want to make him burst. But there was a sadness there as well, as though he was all alone in a life he never chose, and Garibaldi longed to reach out to him as well. He had been mad at Sinclair for a long time for not saying goodbye, but over time, he had let it go. Now he realised he hadn't let go completely and he needed to.

“Thank you,” Garibaldi murmured, and both figures all but glowed. “Good bye.”

Ivanova raised her hand in farewell, tears filling her eyes as she faded. Sinclair lingered, as his memory and presence did, but he too disappeared. Garibaldi continued to stare, not sure whether it was a figment of his imagination or real, until Lise's voice brought him back to the present.

“Michael, are you alright?”

When he turned, Garibaldi was surprised to find his cheeks were wet with tears. “Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, I was just...letting go.”

Lise studied him for a long moment, then much to his surprise, she just nodded in understanding and held out her hand to him. “Come here.”

As she cradled his head, Garibaldi held on to the realisation he had experienced earlier; he would never be alone again.

FIN


End file.
